Gun rights rally in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) – About two dozen gun rights advocates climbed the steps of the State Capitol for the second annual rally organized by Gun Rights Across America on Sunday.

Advertisements for the rally encouraged gun rights supporters to participate and “stand your ground.” However, organizers say the rally was not centered on the controversial stand your ground laws that became the national focus of the gun rights debate after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

“Our main goal is to promote citizen involvement, to get citizens involved and to have them stand up for their rights,” said Stephen Burton, Gun Rights Across America.

The list of speakers at the rally included Eddie Fulmer, the President of the Alabama based gun rights group BamaCarry.

Fulmer says their group is unhappy with the gun legislation that came out of Montgomery in 2013 and they see it as a tradeoff of their rights in exchange for convenience.

“The framers, they intended them not to be infringed so says the US Constitution and our beloved Alabama Constitution. We have allowed our freedoms to be turned into a licensed privilege,” said Eddie Fulmer, BamaCarry President. “And now actually for the first time ever in Alabama’s history we have a list of places where you cannot carry a firearm for self-defense.”

That list includes courthouses and any place with a sign prohibiting firearms on the property like the State Capitol. Fulmer also takes aim at the Alabama Sheriff’s Association for its opposition to legislation that would have allowed the transportation of a loaded firearm without a permit.

“All the states around us allow vehicle carry without a permit. In other words you can carry a loaded handgun in your vehicle without a permit. Alabama doesn’t allow that, but our constitution does,” said Fulmer.